Royals from around the world attended Queen Elizabeth II’s state funeral on Monday, as did actress Sandra Oh and TV host Bear Grylls. But one surprise attendee was neither invited nor famous: A small spider was spotted crawling across the queen’s coffin, and naturally, social media took it to heart.
The spider picked a prominent spot to show up. It was seen crawling across a note from the queen’s eldest son, King Charles III, that reads “in loving and devoted memory. Charles R.” (“R” is Latin for Rex, meaning “king.”) The Imperial State Crown is just inches from the spider’s path. And since the arachnid quickly scurried away, who knows where it is now? It could have taken up residence in the crown itself.
One person dubbed it, “the most famous spider in the world right now.”
Another theorized how confused the little spider must have been, writing, “Imagine you’re a spider in the garden and you fall asleep in a pink rose. When you wake up, you stretch all your little legs and realize that you’re suddenly naked in Westminster Abbey, on top of the queen’s coffin in front of world leaders and billions of people.”
Imagine you’re a spider in the garden and you fall asleep in a pink rose.
When you wake up, you stretch all your little legs and realise that you’re suddenly naked in Westminster Abbey, on top of the Queen’s coffin in front of world leaders and billions of people🕷️#queensfuneral pic.twitter.com/ARNc9s4y8O— Fiona Adorno🌻 (@FionaAdorno) September 19, 2022
It’s that time of year. I imagine the Abbey is full of them. Nice of Spider to drop off to pay its respect to The Queen 👑
— MANUΞL VΞLASQUΞZ ☬ (@hecxtreme) September 19, 2022
Though the funeral was, of course, a serious, solemn event, the spider inspired some to spin jokes. Said one person, “it’s all part of the endless web coverage.”
it’s all part of the endless web coverage
— Dame Carol Voldermort 🇺🇦 (@carolvolders) September 19, 2022
Others used the spider to make a point about the lengthy funeral coverage versus the time spent on major news events.
One person wrote, “Puerto Rico: **has no power or potable water** Every cable news network: ‘Was that?….yes, I believe a spider just crawled across the queen’s coffin.'”
Puerto Rico: **has no power or potable water**
Every cable news network: “Was that?….yes, I believe a spider just crawled across the queen’s coffin”
— Laura Bassett (@LEBassett) September 19, 2022
If there is a way to transport the Queen’s corgis to Puerto Rico, then the cable news networks will report on the impact of the hurricane.
— Art Martin (@gartmartin9) September 19, 2022
Naturally, the spider now has at least one Twitter account, with more than 160 followers as of this writing.
“For anyone wondering, I am just a little garden spider / an orb weaver of sorts,” the person behind TheRoyalSpider account wrote. “Hope this helps! Having a bit of an identity crisis with all the fame…”
Queen Elizabeth II died on Sept. 8 at age 96 after reigning for 70 years. She will be buried in St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle, next to her late husband, Prince Philip, who died last year at age 99.
